For Immediate Release Common Cause NY Statement on NYC Council Rezo Opposing the Citizens United Decision

Common Cause NY Statement on NYC Council Rezo Opposing the Citizens United Decision

Today Common Cause NY Executive Director, Susan Lerner, testified in support of a resolution before the New York City Council opposing the United States Supreme Court's interpretation of the Constitution in Citizens United regarding the constitutional rights of corporations. The resolution supports an amendment to the Constitution to provide that corporations are not entitled to the entirety of protections or "rights" of natural persons, specifically so that the expenditure of corporate money to influence the electoral process is no longer a form of constitutionally protected speech. The resolution calls on Congress to begin the process of amending the Constitution.

"Common Cause applauds the NYC City Council's righteous stance against the pernicious Citizens United decision which created corporate personhood at great cost to natural persons. Democracy is about equality in our political process, it's not for sale. Our democracy shouldn't be warped by corporate influence which far exceeds the resources of average Americans. We need a Constitutional amendment to reverse the Supreme Court's misguided characterization that corporations are tantamount to people: we the people, for whom the Constitution was written, respectfully disagree," said Susan Lerner, Executive Director of Common Cause NY

Common Cause is a nonpartisan grassroots organization dedicated to upholding the core values of American democracy. We work to create open, honest, and accountable government that serves the public interest; promote equal rights, opportunity, and representation for all; and empower all people to make their voices heard in the political process.